We are a bookkeeper in Nassau County, NY working with owner-run businesses across Hicksville, Garden City, Mineola, Westbury and the rest of the county. That means books closed every month, Nassau sales tax filed at 8.625 percent, and a return that is built from the books rather than reconstructed in March. Our office is on Duffy Avenue in Hicksville.
Books closed monthly, not rebuilt at year end
Nassau sales tax at 8.625 percent, filed on the state's schedule
Payroll, 1099s and the MCTMT handled with the rest of it
The Hicksville office, or a Garden City or Mineola street of small offices.
Overview
We are a bookkeeper in Nassau County, NY working with owner-run businesses across Hicksville, Garden City, Mineola, Westbury and the rest of the county. That means books closed every month, Nassau sales tax filed at 8.625 percent, and a return that is built from the books rather than reconstructed in March. Our office is on Duffy Avenue in Hicksville.
What a month looks like
Video coming soon
The Nassau month end, start to finish
What we need from you, what comes back, and when. Filmed at the Hicksville office.
[confirm length once filmed]
Bookkeeping for Nassau County businesses
Nassau County holds 1,381,715 people in 453 square miles, which is a small area carrying a large population, and New York State describes it as the wealthiest county in the state. For a bookkeeper that shape matters. Very few of our Nassau clients run a large site. Most are professional practices, contractors, retailers and service businesses working out of one office or one yard, often with a handful of employees and an owner who is also the salesperson.
The accounting problems that come with that are consistent. Revenue arrives through several channels and none of them agree with the bank. Payroll is run in one system, the books in another, and nobody reconciles them. Sales tax gets collected correctly and then recorded as income, so the profit and loss says the business earned money it is holding for the state. None of these are hard to fix. They are hard to notice while you are running the business.
We close the books every month, which is the part that changes the experience. You get a profit and loss, a balance sheet, and a short note on what moved, within the first two weeks of the following month. When the return is prepared it is built from those numbers.
Nassau sales tax at 8.625 percent
Every jurisdiction in Nassau charges 8.625 percent. It is made up of the state's 4 percent, the county's 4.25 percent, and the 0.375 percent MCTD surcharge that applies because Long Island sits inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. There is no separate village or town rate to look up, which makes Nassau simpler than much of the state.
Two things catch people out. Clothing and footwear under $110 is exempt from the state's 4 percent, but Nassau still charges its local portion on it. And you need a Certificate of Authority in hand before your first taxable sale.
Filing on time is worth money. Quarterly and annual filers who file and pay in full keep the vendor collection credit, 5 percent of the tax due up to $200 a period. Monthly filers and PrompTax enrollees do not qualify, and a late return forfeits it.
What Nassau property tax does to an owner's return
Nassau's overall full-value tax rate was $36.90 per $1,000 in 2021, all taxing purposes, against $27.70 for New York State outside New York City. Suffolk was $18.90. For most Nassau owners property tax is the single largest tax they pay, and it is the one where the relief is easiest to miss.
If you own the building your business trades from, the treatment depends on how it is held. A property owned personally and rented to your own company is a separate rental activity with its own return, and the rent has to be set and actually paid. If you work from home, the home office deduction has rules about exclusive use that are worth getting right rather than guessing at.
On the personal side, STAR is the main relief for a homeowner, and new owners receive the credit rather than the exemption. We cover the levers that move a Long Island personal return on the Long Island tax rates page.
The Nassau businesses we work with
Professional practices. Dentists, medical practices, law firms and design studios. The work is usually revenue recognition against a billing system, owner compensation split properly between salary and distribution, and equipment financing recorded as a liability rather than an expense.
Trade contractors. HVAC, electrical, plumbing and remodeling. Job costing is the whole game: if labor, materials and subcontract cost are not booked to the job as they happen, the margin on a fixed quote stays invisible until the year closes.
Retail and food service. Point of sale that reconciles to the bank, tips handled correctly through payroll, and sales tax posted to a liability rather than to income.
Property and rentals. Owners with two or ten units, where the books have to separate each property and hold a fixed asset register that survives a sale.
What we file, and when
Monthly: books closed, accounts reconciled, and a profit and loss and balance sheet issued. Quarterly: sales tax on the state's March, June, September and December schedule, payroll returns, and estimated tax if you owe it. Annually: 1099s in January, the business return, and the personal return that follows from it.
If you are self-employed and your net earnings run above the threshold, the MCTMT applies here at 0.34 percent on Zone 2 earnings. The threshold rises to $150,000 for tax year 2026, up from $50,000, so a number of owners who paid it will not for 2026.
Our Hicksville office
We are at 100 Duffy Avenue, Suite 510 in Hicksville. It is central to Nassau and a short run to Mineola, Garden City, Westbury and Bethpage, and it is a few minutes from the Hicksville LIRR station if you are coming by train. Most of the work happens remotely, and we meet when meeting is useful rather than on a schedule.
The New York compliance calendar
The recurring dates, quarter by quarter, and the three standing items that sit outside the quarters.
Long Island pays the downstate minimum wage, $17.00 an hour for 2026, against $16.00 for the rest of the state.
What this looks like in practice
These are the situations we are typically brought in to fix on Long Island. Details are generalised, and we never publish a client's business.
1
A Garden City dental practice
Garden City, Nassau County
What we found
Two years of books built from bank feed categories alone, with the practice management system never reconciled to them, so collections and revenue disagreed by a five figure amount and nobody knew which was right.
What we did
Rebuilt revenue from the practice management system, tied collections to deposits month by month, and recorded the equipment finance agreements as an asset and a liability, so only the interest reaches the profit and loss.
Where it landed
Monthly close inside two weeks, and a clean set of figures to take to the bank for the operatory expansion.
2
A Hicksville HVAC contractor
Hicksville, Nassau County
What we found
Materials, subcontract labor and payroll all landing in one cost account, so gross margin moved between 18 and 51 percent from month to month with no connection to the jobs actually worked.
What we did
Set up job costing so labor, materials and subcontract cost post to the job as incurred, and put work in progress on the balance sheet.
Where it landed
Margin by job visible within the month, and two service lines that had been quoted below cost repriced.
3
A Mineola law firm
Mineola, Nassau County
What we found
Client trust money sitting in the operating account and appearing as revenue, which overstated income and created a compliance problem at the same time.
What we did
Separated the trust account, reconciled it on its own each month, and restated the prior year so the return matched the books.
Where it landed
Income stated correctly, the compliance exposure closed, and a monthly reconciliation the firm can show if it is ever asked.
What it costs
A flat monthly fee, quoted from your transaction volume, your accounts, and whether you run payroll. You get the number in writing before any work starts. Catch-up work is quoted separately so it does not inflate the ongoing fee.
Basics
$250per month
Solo owners and single-location businesses under about $50k of monthly expenses.
Monthly bank and card reconciliation
Expense categorization with bank rules
Profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow every month
Sales tax return prepared and filed at your county rate
Ro Sokhi is a New York licensed CPA. The person who signs off on your numbers is the person who can tell you what they mean for your tax bill.
Flat monthly fee
You know the number before the month starts. No hourly meter, no surprise invoice for a phone call in March.
On Long Island, not a call center
Staffed offices in Melville and Hicksville. We will come to the shop if the shoebox is easier to hand over than to scan.
Catch-up work is normal here
Most businesses that call us are behind. Some by a quarter, some by three years. That is the job, and it is quoted separately so the monthly fee stays clean.
Our offices
Both offices are staffed. Most work happens electronically wherever you are, and the offices are there for the businesses that would rather hand something over in person.
Suffolk County Office
68 S Service Rd #100 Melville, NY 11747
On the South Service Road off the LIE, serving Suffolk County and eastern Long Island.
Sales tax rates by county.Publication 718: New York State Publication 718 lists the combined rate for every jurisdiction, including Nassau at 8.625 percent and Suffolk at 8.75 percent.
Suffolk's rate change.Sales tax rates bulletin: Suffolk raised its local rate from 4.25 to 4.375 percent effective March 1, 2025, which is why the two counties no longer match.
Clothing under $110.Publication 718-C: Publication 718-C sets out which localities exempt clothing and footwear under $110 and which continue to tax their local portion.
MCTMT employer rates.MCTMT employer rates: The payroll expense threshold and the Zone 2 bracket rates that apply to Nassau and Suffolk employers.
MCTMT if you are self-employed.0.34 percent on Zone 2 self-employment earnings: Long Island is Zone 2, where net earnings from self-employment are taxed at 0.34 percent above a threshold that rises to $150,000 for tax year 2026.
The vendor collection credit.5 percent of tax due, up to $200 a period: Quarterly and annual filers who file on time keep 5 percent of the tax due, up to $200 a period. Monthly filers and PrompTax enrollees are not eligible.
Property tax, full value rates.Overall full-value tax rates by county: New York State's overall full-value tax rates by county: Nassau $36.90 and Suffolk $18.90 per $1,000 for 2021, against $27.70 statewide outside New York City.
Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge.1,300 companies at the Innovation Park: HIA-LI, the park's steward, publishes the 1,300 company count cited in the capital map.
CPA licence verification.NYSED licence register: The New York State Education Department register, where any CPA licence can be checked, including ours.
Every rate on this page links to the New York State authority that publishes it. Figures are current as of the date shown above. They explain how the numbers work and are not tax advice for your situation.
Local resources
Nassau County Clerk Assumed name (DBA) certificates and business filings, at 240 Old Country Road in Mineola.
Every rate on this page links to the New York State authority that publishes it. Figures are current as of the date shown above. They explain how the numbers work and are not tax advice for your situation.
Questions
Do you work across all of Nassau County?
Yes. The Hicksville office is central to the county, and we work with businesses in Garden City, Mineola, Westbury, Bethpage, Hempstead, Levittown, Great Neck, Rockville Centre and the rest of it. Most of the work is remote, so where you sit in the county does not change the service or the fee.
What is the sales tax rate in Nassau County?
8.625 percent everywhere in the county, made up of the state's 4 percent, the county's 4.25 percent, and the 0.375 percent MCTD surcharge. There is no separate village rate to look up.
Is Nassau different from Suffolk for tax?
The sales tax rate differs: Nassau is 8.625 percent and Suffolk is 8.75 percent after Suffolk's 2025 increase. Property tax differs sharply too, with Nassau's full-value rate well above the state average and Suffolk's below it. Income tax, payroll and the MCTMT work the same way in both.
Can you take over books that are two years behind?
Yes, and it is a normal way for us to start. We agree a scope and a fixed price for the catch-up work before we begin, so you know what it costs before we touch it.
How much does a bookkeeper cost on Long Island?
Our plans start at $250 a month for a solo owner and run to $850 for a multi-entity business, set by your monthly expense volume rather than by the hour. You get the number in writing before any work starts. Independent bookkeepers on Long Island often quote hourly, which looks cheaper until a busy month arrives; a flat fee is a number you can budget.
My books are two years behind. Is that a problem?
It is the most common reason people call. We work backwards from the last filed return, rebuild the periods in between, and reconcile to the bank rather than to whatever the prior file says. You get a clean starting balance and a written list of what changed. Catch-up is quoted as a one-time project, usually one to two months of the recurring fee.
Do you file sales tax returns?
Yes, and on Long Island that matters more than most places. Nassau charges 8.625 percent and Suffolk charges 8.75 percent, so a business selling in both counties collects at two rates and has to report them separately. We register you if you are not registered, review what you are collecting, and file on whatever schedule the state has put you on.
Are you a CPA firm?
Ro Sokhi is individually licensed as a CPA in New York and leads the work. The operating entity is a business corporation and is not registered with NYSED as a public accounting firm, so we do not perform audits, reviews, or compilations. If your bank or a buyer needs assurance work we will tell you plainly and point you to a registered firm.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA?
A bookkeeper records what happened. A CPA is licensed, can represent you before the IRS, and can tell you what the numbers mean for your tax position and your decisions. Most small businesses are sold one or the other. Here the bookkeeping is done to a standard a CPA is willing to sign off on, and the same person handles the return.
Do you work with QuickBooks, or do I have to switch?
QuickBooks Online for most clients, and Xero where a business is already on it. We do not force a migration for its own sake. If you are on spreadsheets, a shoebox, or a system your last bookkeeper set up badly, that is a normal starting point and we will move you when moving is worth it.
How long does it take to get started?
A first call takes about twenty minutes and a quote follows the same day. Once you accept, we need read-only access to your bank and card feeds and your last filed return. Most businesses are fully onboarded inside two weeks; a business needing catch-up work takes longer, and we tell you how much longer before you commit.
Do we have to meet in person?
Only if you want to. Most clients send documents electronically and talk to us on a call. The Melville and Hicksville offices are there for the businesses that would rather hand over a box of receipts than scan them, and for anyone who wants to meet the person doing the work before handing over the books.
Can you handle payroll as well as the books?
Yes. We process payroll, file the NYS-45, and track the MCTMT, which applies here because Nassau and Suffolk are inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. We also review worker classification, because contractors who work like employees are the payroll issue New York challenges most often.
What happens if I get a letter from New York State or the IRS?
Send it to us the day it arrives. Most notices are routine and are resolved with a reconciliation and a reply. Ro is a CPA and holds unlimited representation rights before the IRS, so if a notice turns into something more, you are not looking for help at that point.
Are you taking new clients right now?
Yes. We keep the client list small enough that the same person reviews your file every month, so there are periods when onboarding runs a few weeks out, and we tell you that on the first call rather than after you sign.
